• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• 제35권1호
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• pp.123-129
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• 2011

The pig has been considered to serve as an appropriate model of human disease. Therefore, establishment of porcine embryonic stem cell lines is important. The purpose of the present study was to further work in this direction. We produced porcine parthenogenetic embryos, and separately aggregated two of each of two-cell ($2{\times}2$), four-cell ($2{\times}4$), and eight-cell ($2{\times}8$) embryos derived by parthenogenesis. After culture for 4 days, the developmental ability of the aggregates and total blastocyst cell numbers were evaluated. The percentage of blastocysts was significantly higher in both $2{\times}4$- and $2{\times}8$-aggregated embryos ($58.3{\pm}1.9%$ and $37.2{\pm}2.8%$, respectively) than in the control or $2{\times}2$-aggregated embryos ($23.6{\pm}1.1%$ and $12.5{\pm}2.4%$, respectively). Total blastocyst cell numbers were increased in the $2{\times}4$- and $2{\times}8$-aggregated embryos (by $44{\pm}3.0%$ and $45{\pm}3.3%$, respectively) compared with those of control or $2{\times}2$-aggregated embryos ($30.5{\pm}2.1%$ and $30.7{\pm}2.6%$, respectively; p<0.05). The levels of mRNA encoding Oct-4 were higher in both the $2{\times}4$- and $2{\times}8$-aggregated embryos than in the control. When blastocysts derived from $2{\times}4$- aggregated embryos or intact normal embryos were cultured on mouse embryonic fibroblast feeder cells to obtain porcine stem cells, blastocysts from aggregated embryos formed colonies that were better in shape compared with those derived from intact blastocysts. Together, the data show that aggregation of porcine embryos not only improves blastocyst quality but also serves as an efficient procedure by which porcine embryonic stem cells can become established.

• 한국동물번식학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국동물번식학회 2003년도 학술발표대회 발표논문초록집
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• pp.30-30
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• 2003

The present study examined the developmental ability of embryonic stem (ES) cells aggregated with mouse parthenogenetic embryos. Oocytes obtained from superovulated female mouse (BCF1) were treated with 7% ethanol and 5 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ cytochalasin B (CB) for producing pathenotes and in vitro fertilized with fresh sperm for producing normal embryos. The reporter vector (pNeoEGFP) were inserted into ES cells (129S4/svJae) by electroporation. At the 8-cell stage, in vitro fertilized embryos and pathenotes, which the zona pellucida was removed, were co-cultured with 5~10 ES cells for 4 hr. After in vitro fertilized embryos and parthenotes aggregated with ES cells were incubated to blastocyst stage, and these blastocysts transferred into the uterus of pseudopregnant recipients. The fertilized embryos aggregated with ES cells were successfully developed to offspring, but the parthenotes aggregated with ES cells failed to develop offsprings. However, genomic DNA of ES cells was detected in the pathenogenetic fetus by polymerase chain reactions at 15 day post gestation. In this study, results indicated that parthenotes aggregated with ES cells showed possible development to fetus. In the future, this method may help to produce transgenic chimera from parthenotes aggregated with ES cells.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제36권5호
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• pp.710-719
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• 2023

Objective: The present study investigated whether protodioscin (PD), a steroidal saponin mainly found in rhizome of Dioscorea species, alleviates oxidative stress-induced damage of porcine oocytes during in vitro maturation. Methods: Oocytes were treated with different concentrations of PD (0, 1, 10, 100, and 200 µM) in the presence of 200 µM H₂O₂ during in vitro maturation. Following maturation, spindle morphology and mitogen-activated protein kinase activity was assessed along with reactive oxygen species level, GSH activity, and mRNA expression of endogenous antioxidant genes at the MII stage. On the day 7 after parthenogenetic activation, blastocyst formation rate was calculated and the quality of embryo and mRNA expression of development-related genes was evaluated. Results: Developmental competence was significantly poorer in the 0 µM PD-treated (control) group than in the non-treated (normal) and 10 µM PD-treated (10PD) groups. Although the reactive oxygen species level did not significantly differ between these three groups, the glutathione level and mRNA expression of antioxidant genes (superoxide dismutase 1 [SOD1], SOD2, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 [Nrf2], and hemo oxygenase-1 [HO-1]) were significantly higher in the normal and 10PD groups than in the control group. In addition, the percentage of oocytes with defective spindle and abnormal chromosomal alignment was significantly lower and the ratio of phosphorylated p44/42 to total p44/42 was significantly higher in the normal and 10PD groups than in the control group. The total cell number per blastocyst was significantly higher in the 10PD group than in the control group. The percentage of apoptotic cells in blastocysts was highest in the control group; however, the difference was not significant. mRNA expression of development-related genes (POU domain, class 5, transcription factor 1 [POU5F1], caudal type homeobox 2 [CDX2], Nanog homeobox [NANOG]) was consistently increased by addition of PD. Conclusion: The PD effectively improves the developmental competence and quality of blastocysts by protecting porcine oocytes against oxidative stress.

• 한국수정란이식학회지
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• 제27권3호
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• pp.171-174
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• 2012

Various small molecules can be used to control major signaling pathways to enhance stemness and inhibit differentiation in murine embryonic stem cell (mESC) culture. Small molecules inhibiting the fibroblast growth factor (FGF)/ERK pathway can preserve pluripotent cells from stimulation of differentiation. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of pluripotin (SC-1), an inhibitor of the FGF/ERK pathway, on the colony formation of outgrowing presumptive mESCs. After plating the zona pellucida-free blastocyst on the feeder layer, attached cell clumps was cultured with SC-1 until the endpoint of the experiment at passage 10. In this experiment, when the number of colonies was counted at passage 3, SC-1-treated group showed 3.4 fold more mESC colonies when compared with control group. However, after passage 4, there was no stimulating effect of SC-1 on the colony formation. In conclusion, SC-1 treatment can be used to promote mESC generation by increasing the number of early mESC colonies.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• 제36권1호
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• pp.33-37
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• 2012

Differential capacity of the parthenogenetic embryonic stem cells (PESCs) is still under controversy and the mechanisms of its neural induction are yet poorly understood. Here we demonstrated neural lineage induction of PESCs by addition of insulin-like growth factor-2 (Igf2), which is an important factor for embryo organ development and a paternally expressed imprinting gene. Murine PESCs were aggregated to embryoid bodies (EBs) by suspension culture under the leukemia inhibitory factor-free condition for 4 days. To test the effect of exogenous Igf2, 30 ng/ml of Igf2 was supplemented to EBs induction medium. Then neural induction was carried out with serum-free medium containing insulin, transferrin, selenium, and fibronectin complex (ITSFn) for 12 days. Normal murine embryonic stem cells derived from fertilized embryos (ESCs) were used as the control group. Neural potential of differentiated PESCs and ESCs were analyzed by immunofluorescent labeling and real-time PCR assay (Nestin, neural progenitor marker; Tuj1, neuronal cell marker; GFAP, glial cell marker). The differentiated cells from both ESC and PESC showed heterogeneous population of Nestin, Tuj1, and GFAP positive cells. In terms of the level of gene expression, PESC showed 4 times higher level of GFAP expression than ESCs. After exposure to Igf2, the expression level of GFAP decreased both in derivatives of PESCs and ESCs. Interestingly, the expression level of $Tuj1$ increased only in ESCs, not in PESCs. The results show that IGF2 is a positive effector for suppressing over-expressed glial differentiation during neural induction of PESCs and for promoting neuronal differentiation of ESCs, while exogenous Igf2 could not accelerate the neuronal differentiation of PESCs. Although exogenous Igf2 promotes neuronal differentiation of normal ESCs, expression of endogenous $Igf2$ may be critical for initiating neuronal differentiation of pluripotent stem cells. The findings may contribute to understanding of the relationship between imprinting mechanism and neural differentiation and its application to neural tissue repair in the future.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• 제34권3호
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• pp.127-134
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• 2010

This study was to investigate the effect of flavonoid treatment on in vitro development of bovine somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos, and their pregnancy and delivery rate after embryo transfer into recipient. In experiment 1, to optimize the flavonoid concentration, parthenogenetic day 2 ($\geq$ 2-cell) embryos were cultured in 0 (control), 1, 10 and $20\;{\mu}M$ flavonoid for 6 days. In the results, in vitro development rate was the highest in $10\;{\mu}M$ flavonoid group (57.1%) among treatment groups (control, 49.5%; $1\;{\mu}M$, 54.2%; $20\;{\mu}M$, 37.5%), and numbers of total and ICM cells were significantly (p<0.05) higher in $10\;{\mu}M$ flavonoid group than other groups. We found that $10\;{\mu}M$ flavonoid treatment can significantly (p<0.05) decrease the apoptotic index and derive high expression of anti-oxidant, anti-apoptotic, cell growth and development marker genes such as Mn-SOD, Survivin, Bax inhibitor, Glut-5, In-tau, compared to control group. In experiment 2, to produce the cloned Jeju Black Cattle, beef quality index grade 1 bull somatic cells were transferred into enucleated bovine MII oocytes and reconstructed embryos were cultured in $10\;{\mu}M$ flavonoid added medium. When the in vitro produced day 7 or 8 SCNT blastocysts were transferred into a number of recipients, $10\;{\mu}M$ flavonoid treatment group presented higher pregnancy rate (10.2%, 6/59) than control group (5.9%, 2/34). Total three cloned Jeju Black calves were born. Also, two cloned calves in $10\;{\mu}M$ flavonoid group were born and both were all healthy at present, while the one cloned calf born in control group was dead one month after birth. In addition, when the result of short tandem repeat marker analysis of each cloned calf was investigated, microsatellite loci of 11 numbers matched genotype between donor cell and cloned calf tissue. These results demonstrated that the flavonoid addition in culture medium may have beneficial effects on in vitro and in vivo developmental capacity of SCNT embryos and pregnancy rate.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• 제30권1호
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• pp.47-52
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• 2006

본 연구는 단위발생유래 생쥐 배아줄기세포(P-mES)지가 체외수정유래 생쥐 배아줄기세포 (mES)와 마찬가지로 기능성 심근세포로 체외 분화되는지를 조사하였다. 각 세포주 P-mES04와 MES03를 4일간 부유 배양하여 배아체 (EB)를 형성한 다음 4일간 DMSO를 추가적으로 처리한 뒤 젤라틴이 코팅된 배양접시에 부착시켰다(4-/4+). P-mES04와 mES03으로부터 수축성 심근세포 생성 여부를 30일간 관찰한 결과, 각각 13일(69.83%)과 22일 (61.3%)에 누적 형성율이 가장 높았다. 면역 세포화학염색 결과, 수축성을 나타내는 P-mES04 세포는 수축성 mES03 세포에서와 같이 근육 특이적인 anti-sarcomeric a-actinin 항체와 심근 특이적인 anti-cardiac troponin I 항체에 염색되는 것을 확인하였다. 또한 RT-PCR 결과, 수축성을 나타내는 P-mES04 세포는 심근특이적인 L-type calcium channel, a1C, cardiac myosin heavy chain a, cardiac muscle heavy polypeptide $7{\beta}$, GATA binding protein 4와 atrial natriuretic factor는 발현하나, 골격근 특이적인 L-type calcium channel, a1S는 발현하지 않아 웅성 성체의 심장세포와 유사한 양상을 보였다. 본 연구의 결과는 단위발생 유래 생쥐 배아 줄기세포를 배아줄기세포의 연구의 대체제로 이용할 수 있음을 보여준다.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• 제39권3호
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• pp.89-95
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• 2015

체외 배양액에 성장호르몬 및 사이토카인의 첨가는 초기배 발육 및 생산된 배반포의 질에 영향을 미칠 수 있다. 본 연구는 돼지 유도만능줄기세포(porcine induced pluripotent stem cell, piPSC)의 조정배지(conditioned medium, CM)가 돼지 난자의 체외성숙 및 단위발생 후 초기배 발육에 미치는 영향을 검토하기 위하여 수행하였다. 난자-난구세포 복합체(cumulus-oocyte complex, COC)는 0(control), 25, or 50%의 줄기세포 배양액(stem cell medium, SM) 또는 CM이 첨가된 체외성숙 배양액으로 배양하였으며, 성숙된 난자는 활성화 유도 후 같은 농도의 SM 또는 CM을 첨가한 체외배양액에서 배양하였다. 체외 성숙율은 CM-25% 그룹에서 대조구보다 유의적으로 높았으나 (p<0.05), 다른 SM 또는 CM 처리구와는 차이가 없었다. 배반포 형성율은 CM-25% 그룹(29.2%)에서 대조구(20.7%), SM-50%(19.6%) 및 CM-50%(23.66%) 처리구보다 유의적으로 높았다(p<0.05). 배반포에서의 세포수 및 세포사 비율은 SM-25% 그룹이 대조구에 비하여 유의적인 차이가 나타났다(p<0.05). 난자의 질과 연관되어 있는 유전자들(Oct4, Klf4, Tert 및 Zfp42)의 발현은 CM-25% 그룹에서 대조구보다 유의적으로 증가되었다(p<0.05). 따라서 본 실험의 결과 체외성숙(IVM) 및 체외발달(IVC) 배양액에 25% 수준의 CM의 첨가는 돼지 단위발생 난자의 배발달과 난자의 질적 향상에 기여하는 것으로 사료된다.

• 한국수정란이식학회지
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• 제32권4호
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• pp.257-265
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• 2017

Ferulic Acid (FA) is a metabolite of phenylalanine and tyrosine, a phenolic compound commonly found in fruits and vegetables. Several studies have shown that FA has various functions such as antioxidant effect, prevention of cell damage from irradiation, protection from cell damage caused by oxygen deficiency, anti-inflammatory action, anti-aging action, liver protective effect and anti-cancer action. In this study, we investigated the maturation rate, intracellular glutathione (GSH) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) of porcine oocytes by adding FA to the in vitro maturation (IVM) medium and examined subsequent embryonic developmental competence at 5% oxygen through parthenogenesis. There is no significant difference between the control group ($0{\mu}M$) and treatment groups ($5{\mu}M$, $10{\mu}M$, $20{\mu}M$) on maturation rates. Intracellular GSH levels in oocyte treated with $5{\mu}M$ of FA significantly increased (P < 0.05), and $20{\mu}M$ of FA revealed significant decrease (P < 0.05) in intracellular ROS levels compared with the control group. Oocytes treated with FA exhibited significantly higher cleavage rates (79.01% vs 89.19%, 92.20%, 90.89%, respectively) than the control group. Oocytes treated with $10{\mu}M$ showed significantly higher blastocyst formation rates (28.3% vs 40.3%, respectively) after PA than the control group. Total cell numbers in blastocyst of $10{\mu}M$ FA displayed significantly higher (39.4 vs 51.9, respectively) than the control group. In conclusion, these results suggested that treatment with FA during IVM improved the developmental potential of porcine embryos by increasing intracellular GSH synthesis and reducing ROS levels. Also, there was an improvement of cleavage rate, blastocyst formation and total cell numbers in blastocysts. It might be associated with Keap1-Nrf2 pathway as an antioxidant regulate pathway that plays a crucial role in determining the sensitivity of cells to oxidative damages by regulating the basal and inducible expression of enzymes which is related to detoxification and anti-oxidative effects, stress response enzymes and/or proteins and ABC transporters.